Maintaining deep-draft commercial navigation lanes, preventing channel shoaling, and supporting high-volume Mississippi River maritime traffic, Weeks Marine Inc. has been awarded a $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract. The civil works navigation action provides one fully crewed and equipped hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge for sediment removal and disposal operations within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District.

Contract Details: At A Glance

District Context & Mission Impact

This critical navigation maintenance contract is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District. Managing the lower Mississippi River, Atchafalaya River, and surrounding Gulf Coast waterways, the New Orleans District oversees maritime passages essential for national grain exports, energy transport, and international commercial shipping. Siltation from river run-off and tidal dynamics continually reduces depth in authorized shipping lanes. Deploying a dedicated hydraulic pipeline cutterhead dredge allows USACE to quickly execute targeted shoal removal, pump sediment into marsh creation containment areas, and ensure uninterrupted vessel transit through September 2027.

Contractor Spotlight & Industry Context

Headquartered in Covington, Louisiana (operating as a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation), Weeks Marine Inc. is a major American marine construction and dredging contractor specializing in heavy civil marine infrastructure, coastal restoration, and hydraulic pipeline dredging. One bid was solicited with one proposal received. Operating heavy hydraulic cutterhead dredges requires powerful pumps, extensive pipeline assembly, specialized anchor barges, and continuous hydrographic surveying to perform around-the-clock dredging operations in high-current river channels. Partnering specialized marine contractors with USACE coastal engineers preserves safe navigation along Louisiana’s vital commercial waterways.